


New Neighbor

by hello_nina



Category: Taynew
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Boyfriends, Cuddling, Drama, Fights, Fluff, GMMTV - Freeform, Jealousy, JossNew, Love Triangle, M/M, Making Out, but is it really a love triangle?, bxb - Freeform, it's complicated - Freeform, taynew - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2020-08-18 22:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20199490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hello_nina/pseuds/hello_nina
Summary: Tay and New have been in a stable relationship for two years.One day they find out they have a new neighbor, Joss, who strikes up a friendship with New.The two seem to have a strong connection, which puts New in a difficult situation.





	1. Chapter 1

“New, wake up! Come onnnn wake up already please!”

Even deep in slumber, nothing could jolt New to his senses quite like Tay’s demanding voice. It was always loud and authoritative but only used for New, and for some reason that made New feel special. As if he was the only one who Tay would ever speak to like that. Granted, it always came across as slightly rude and obnoxious. But New was the only one that knew Tay used that tone when he was missing New, when he wanted New’s attention all to himself, when he was lonely or when he just needed to feel New’s presence near him at that time.

He carefully opened one eye, then the other. There, glaring down at him as he stood right next to the bed, was Tay, complete with bedhead, permanent scowl and bulging eyes. A fierce look unique to Tay that was only reserved for New. 

Always just for New.

“Tay,” he rasped impatiently as he tried to find his voice so early in the morning, “just because you wake up extremely early doesn’t mean the rest of us do! Either go back to bed or let me sleep.” He mumbled as he pulled the covers up and snuggled back into them.

Tay rolled his eyes and nudged him with his knee.

“Come on, it’s 8 AM, let’s go eat! Or let’s watch TV. Or,” he thought carefully about something he knew would tempt New for sure, “let’s go for a jog!”

New sighed and pushed the covers off a little so that his head could peek out. “You?” He squinted his eyes. “Want to go for a jog? At 8 AM?” He threw Tay a skeptical look.

Tay’s eyes grew wider and he smiled a little too eagerly. “Yes! Of course! It’s very healthy and a great start to one’s day.” He responded solemnly.

New pretended to think deeply about this for a while before pulling the covers back over himself and snuggling into them quickly. “No thanks!” He responded abruptly. “I really need the extra sle—AHHHHHH TAYYYY NO! WHY???”

Suddenly New’s entire body was hit with a rush of cold as the covers were ripped off of him and he was left naked on the bed with just his boxers on. 

“IT’S FREEZING TAY!” New hollered as he shot out of bed and attempted to retrieve the covers from Tay.

Tay’s hearty laugh filled the room and suddenly all New could hear was that laugh. It was SO Tay in every way. Whether Tay laughed or cried or got upset, he would express those emotions strongly. He even taught New how to express them as well. It happened gradually though, when Tay would hold him in his arms to let him know he would always support him. When New cried three years ago over his cat running away, when New was upset two years ago over his cousin’s cat passing away, and when New got mad at Tay just last week for leaving the bathroom door open. As he did a number two.

Tay finally became aware of New standing frozen in the middle of the room, staring at him with a goofy smile on his face. He walked slowly over to him, never breaking eye contact as his hands wrapped around the back of New’s neck and pulled him in for a gentle kiss. New smiled into the kiss, his hands reaching slowly for the covers so that he could go blissfully back to sleep.

Tay broke the kiss but hovered his mouth directly over New’s. “Go start a bath and let go of these covers or I will personally drag you back to bed, but you won’t be getting any sleep this time.” He whispered evenly, never breaking eye contact with the younger boy.

New’s mouth hung open slightly as he dropped the covers in a heartbeat, scowling while simultaneously power walking to the bathroom. 

Tay eyed his ass from behind.

***************************************************************************

“Another couple broke up over the weekend.” New sighed dramatically, breaking this terrible news to Tay as they ate breakfast in the kitchen of their shared condo.

“Who?” Tay asked uninterestedly, his fingers scrolling through Twitter on his iPad.

“Remember the ones we met at that retreat last year?”

“Mmmm. Ohh. Well. That’s sad.” Tay responded distractedly.

New rolled his eyes and got up to place his dishes in the sink. As he turned on the water and began to rinse them he felt firm arms wrap around his waist and place more dishes into the sink.

“Since you’re already doing them, would you be so kind?” Tay mumbled against New’s neck.

New’s ears started to turn red and he could feel a small blush start to form at the nape of his neck. Damn it! Two years into their “official” relationship and he still couldn’t stop blushing whenever his…………best friend would show him any kind of affection.

“What do I get in return?” New responded.

“What do you want?” Tay asked, kissing New’s shoulder, his second favorite body part of New’s. Or was it his third? He could never remember.

“I want to get another cat.” New mumbled in a tiny voice, hoping his cute act would assist in convincing Tay this time.

Tay smacked his lips and placed his forehead against the back of New’s shoulder in exasperation. “New we’ve been through this! I don’t like cats. Why do you keep asking for something you know I’m never going to agree to?”

“Because I just…….want one. I miss my old cat. It’s been three years since she ran away and I still feel like there’s a hole in my h—are you laughing?!” New could feel Tay’s body vibrate with the hum of his laughter. 

“It’s not funny Tay! She……..we don’t even know why she ran! Or how she ran, really….”

“Maybe she got tired of listening to that awful, slow and depressing music you listen to.” Tay muttered under his breath as he headed over to the fridge.

“He’s not a bad artist! His music just isn’t for everyone!” New exclaimed, exasperated at Tay’s callous response to his desire to get a cat. Was it such a bad thing to ask for? Tay knew how hard it had been when New’s previous cat ran away. And he also knew that New would be the one cleaning and looking out for the cat. So what was the big deal?

He turned to Tay, ready to push the issue further, but saw the freezer door open and the box of ice cream peaking out from inside.

“Did you restock on ice cream last night?” He asked incredulously. They ran out yesterday morning and New had whined all day about not having his favorite dessert around.

Tay glanced back at him and grinned. “Well you wouldn’t let me forget about it so I figured it’s for the best if I grabbed some while I was out.”

“Great!” New exclaimed, clapping his hands together and walking over to grab the ice cream. “Let’s have some now!”

Tay smacked his hands away and shut the freezer door. “It’s 10 in the morning New and we just ate breakfast. Go get dressed so we can head out to meet up with the gang at the movies. We’re gonna be late.”

“One bite won’t hurt Tay, come on!” New insisted as he tried to dodge him and get to the freezer.

Tay wrapped his arms around New’s torso and dragged him out the kitchen towards their bedroom, New’s cries of anger echoing around the condo walls.

***************************************************************************

“I don’t know New, I know I put the mailbox key somewhere inside my bag. I’ll find it, hang on.” 

Both boys stood in the lobby of the condo building as Tay began digging through his bag to locate the key. New noticed the stares of their neighbors heading out for the day, watching Tay rummage through his already crammed bag as New stood awkwardly beside him. 

He sighed and was about to nag Tay to hurry up when a tall shadow caught the corner of his eye. He turned to his right to locate its source and glanced upon a guy he couldn’t recall ever seeing around their building before. He was tall, at least six feet, easily, wearing a blue t-shirt, plain black basketball shorts and sneakers. He clearly worked out, which New could immediately tell by looking at his arms and legs. But while his muscles were defined they weren’t huge or the center of attention on his body. 

His mouth currently formed an “O” as he whistled lightly while opening his own mailbox to grab the envelopes stuffed inside.

New involuntarily tilted his head to the side, scrunching his eyebrows in concentration. Some of the envelopes dropped out from the mailbox onto the floor. The guy laughed lightly, running his hand through his hair. New was able to catch a hint of a dimple on at least one cheek. 

He never realized how much he liked dimples until now.

The guy squatted down to pick up the envelopes, remaining in that position as he shuffled through them to get an initial glance of what had been delivered to him. New’s head now leaned to the other side as he noticed that the guy’s hair was that perfectly imperfect kind, the kind that didn’t need any styling to look great. Even tussled up his hair fell just right onto his forehead.

New didn’t think he’d ever seen someone this beautiful in his life. And that was despite the constant hours he spent staring at himself in the mirror.

He let out a breathe he didn’t even know he had been holding as the stranger stood up slowly and finally sensed someone looking at him. His head whipped around to face New and, unfortunately for New, they finally made eye contact. 

His eyes widened as he suddenly became embarrassed at having been caught checking out this random guy. But he still couldn’t break eye contact.

The guy observed New for a few seconds before smiling slowly, his dimples popping up again and making New’s heartbeat pick up. Even his smile was perfect. It radiated warmth and kindness. In fact, his whole demeanor gave off such a relaxed vibe that New felt at ease just looking at him, which was a rare feat to accomplish given the fact that New’s brain was constantly buzzing with a hundred different thoughts at once. But as he looked at this random stranger, he felt nothing but comfort.

Which he now realized sounded incredibly creepy, even in his head. What was happening to him?! Why was he standing here like an idiot, staring at this stranger? 

The guy seemed to pick up on New’s agitation because his smile widened as he narrowed his eyes and took a firm step towards New. 

New immediately took a step back.

The guy noticed and waited a few more seconds, observing New carefully before taking two more steps forward.

New was about to take another step back when suddenly he felt a hand land on his elbow and was yanked backwards roughly.

“New, come on! I’ve finally got our mail. Turns out the key was actually stuck on the chain of one of the bracelets I had thrown in my bag last week. I can’t believe I still have that bracelet!” Tay exclaimed as he pulled New towards the main door of the building. 

New glanced quickly at Tay and smiled vaguely, turning back to see if the stranger was still there. 

He wasn’t.

*****************************************************************************


	2. Chapter 2

“Damn it, how did we run out of salt again???” New exclaimed as he stood at the kitchen stove attempting to cook dinner later that night. 

Tay had made plans to play badminton with his friends since it was New’s turn to cook tonight. He scowled as he pictured Tay having fun right now while he was stuck trying to figure out how to finish making dinner with no salt. There was absolutely NO way he could move forward with the recipe without adding salt, and he wasn’t about to go hungry tonight just because of this! 

He stood there trying to brainstorm when suddenly loud music blasted through the wall that connected to their next door neighbor’s condo.

New jumped in surprised and stared at the wall where the noise was coming from. He frowned as he walked towards it and placed his ear against it to better hear the music. It sounded slow and rhythmic so it definitely wasn’t party music. Maybe some rhythm and blues? He was only vaguely familiar with this music but could pick up on the sound of it. He rarely listened to this type of music but as the song went on he found his body unconsciously swaying along.

And that was when he had an idea.

Grabbing a shirt and throwing it on, he dashed out the condo and went to stand in front of his next door neighbor’s door. He crossed his arms and looked down, trying to appear like a normal, friendly neighbor. Whatever that looked like. He tried to plaster a small smile on his face but, as was typical for him, if he wasn’t in the mood to smile he just couldn’t fake it. And tonight he didn’t feel like smiling at all. He and Tay had gotten into another small argument on the way back from the movies earlier and that had resulted in Tay storming out the house without even saying bye to him. And this had left New in a sour mood for the rest of the evening. 

He sighed. Lately it felt like all they’d been doing was snapping at each other over the smallest things. To be fair, the arguments always lead to amazing sex afterwards, but New was starting to wonder if this was even healthy at this point.

Shaking his head, he raised one arm hesitantly and knocked on the door. He waited several minutes before realizing that there was no way his neighbor would hear that knock over the blaring of the music coming from inside, so he rang the doorbell. Once. Twice. Several times. Getting frustrated by the lack of response, he finally just started banging loudly on the door to get his neighbor’s attention.

“HELLO??? IS ANYONE THERE?” He hollered as he banged loudly, wincing as he thought of all his other neighbors listening to this ruckus at 8 PM on a quiet Friday evening.

Finally the door flew open and New pulled his arm down quickly before he hit the neighbor in the face. He looked up to give his neighbor a piece of his mind but instead ended up staring at the familiar face that was, unfortunately, also staring back at him.

“You?” New scowled as he gazed upon the guy he had been caught checking out in the lobby earlier today.

The stranger had switched out his plain t shirt and shorts for a white button down shirt (New didn’t miss the top four buttons being open to reveal a tan, toned chest) and black slacks. His hair was still disheveled, the shirt was untucked, and he still had his home slippers on.

New frowned. “Uhhh……..are you or are you not going somewhere cause it looks like you can’t make up your mind.”

His neighbor’s eyes widened slightly as he looked down at his outfit. “Oh!” He laughed softly as he ran his hand through his hair. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Well…….actually I was. I had a first date planned with someone but they stood me up so I was making dinner all by my lonesome.” 

New stared at him. Why would someone stand him up? He seemed like a nice enough person. Definitely wasn’t that bad to look at. Then again, appearances were superficial - they only showed you what was on the surface. You could spend a lifetime and still never truly know another person on the inside. 

New could attest to that firsthand.

“Well,” he began, clearing his throat in a desperate attempt to shake off the awkward vibe, “I just came by to…..uhh……ask what’s the name of that song?” 

He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t look this guy in the face and pretend to be mad at loud music that he clearly did not mind at all. 

The stranger’s eyebrows flew up and the corners of his mouth went up in a small smile. “You like it?” He asked softly.

New blinked, suddenly feeling conscious. “Yeah it was, umm, nice? Like……you can dance to it but it still felt emotional, in a way.” 

The neighbor glanced at him, his smile widening as he looked New up and down slowly. “Do you wanna come in? I can show you my music collection.” He asked excitedly.

New eyes practically bulged out of their sockets as he took a step back and said hurriedly “no! I just……I needed some salt. Do you have salt? I need some salt. For the food. That I am cooking. For dinner.” 

What was wrong with him? Why did he suddenly forget how to talk now, of all times? This was all the weird neighbor’s fault! If he didn’t have such a cute smile or beautiful eyes or— “I don’t even know your name!” He blurted out. “Why would I go into a stranger’s home?”

“Joss.” The neighbor replied instantly. “It’s Joss. What’s yours?”

New stared at him. “It……..my name…….it’s New.” 

Joss grinned. “Great. New, nice to meet you. Do you want to come in? I can also grab some salt, if you want.”

New took a deep breathe and tried to figure out how he had gotten himself in this situation in the first place. He just needed some salt! He had thought that by coming here and attempting to tell his neighbor — Joss — to turn down his music, he could maybe start up a small conversation, bargain for some salt, and be on his merry way. He didn’t expect to go inside! And he most definitely did NOT expect his neighbor to be the guy from this morning, the guy New couldn’t stop staring at, who was definitely also staring back at him. 

The guy who somehow made him feel emotions he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“Hey, New!” Joss called out, noticing his hesitation. “Relax. It’s fine. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. It’s just…….I moved in only a few days ago and don’t really know anyone around here. In fact, you’re the first neighbor who’s actually tried to initiate conversation with me.” He did another one of his small, ironic laughs that for some reason always made New’s breathing speed up a little. “I promise I’m not a bad person.” He said defeatedly as he glance at New, eyes boring into New’s face.

It was just his neighbor, after all, New thought as he began to rationalize with himself. It couldn’t hurt to be friendly with a neighbor. Besides, Tay wouldn’t be home for at least another hour or two. Plenty of time to bring the salt back and finish up dinner, all while making a new friend and helping out a lonely neighbor. Perfect.

He smiled nervously. “Okay, sure. Lead the way.” 

*******************************************************************************

The first thing New noticed about Joss’s home was that it gave off the same friendly, kind and warm vibe that Joss himself gave off. The place definitely felt comfy, as if welcoming you to make yourself at home. It felt safe. The lighting mostly came from lamps that he had placed carefully along various walls, which made the place seem more intimate. The furniture was artistic enough to seem as if it belonged together without seeming overly gratuitous. Most importantly, Joss’s home was incredibly clean. There was no stray sock left anywhere, no chair moved from its spot, no dust flying around, no stains on the floors. New looked around in amazement. 

It was exactly how he used to keep his own place before moving in with Tay. 

Tay.

He stopped walking all of a sudden, then shook his head and kept moving. Tay was out with friends. New was here with their neighbor trying to get salt. Nothing was weird about this.

He walked around Joss’s living room, taking in the pictures hanging inside delicate frames on the walls. One had what appeared to be a family, laughing together. Another had an elderly woman gazing into the camera with a kind smile. Another showed Joss hugging a man who appeared to be his father.

“Isn’t it funny how pictures hold so many memories but can never bring them back?” Joss said quietly, walking up to stand beside New.

New turned his head to glance at him briefly. The look on his face held nostalgia and a hint of sadness, despite the smile. He turned back to the pictures.

“The past is the past for a reason. Nothing in life is constant.” He said, turning to head towards the couch in the living room.

“We have to remember our history if we want to move forward.” Joss countered, following New and plopping down on the couch next to him.

New frowned, squinting his eyes as he stared vaguely at some corner, not really paying attention. “Sometimes our past can hold us back.”

“Nothing can hold you back if your mind is free. Freedom isn’t an illusion, contrary to popular belief. We’re all just held back by restrictions we place on ourselves.”

New turned his head slowly to look at Joss, his mind trying desperately to determine what he meant by that. Of course all of us are held back by something! If everyone did what they wanted it would be anarchy. 

The look on Joss’s face said he was clearly waiting for New to take the bait, to respond and turn this into something more than New cared to make it. He squinted his eyes at him. Was he purposely trying to get a reaction out of New? Then again, what was holding New back? He was just having a friendly conversation with his next door neighbor. 

“You don’t always get to do what you want in life.” New responded simply, keeping his tone light and nonchalant as he shrugged and pretended to turn his head to keep looking around the home.

Joss grinned. “But we should try to do as much as we can, while we still can.” 

New couldn’t help but smile. Shaking his head, he stood up abruptly. “The salt, Joss. I need the salt.”

“Stay for dinner.”

“No. I have to go home and make my own dinner. I’m waiting on my bo—best friend to come back. We live together.”

Joss tilted his head to the side, thinking. “The guy who was with you this morning?”

New narrowed his eyes. “So you do remember me?”

Joss stood up slowly, smiling. “You? You’re not that easy to forget.”

New’s eyes widened and he felt his face get a little hot. Shit. Was he sweating?

“Where’s the salt?” He asked again, walking towards Joss’s kitchen. He was about to start opening random cupboards in a desperate attempt to grab the salt and run when he felt something soft rub against his legs. 

He looked down to see a small grey and white cat weaving its way around New’s ankles.

“You have a cat?” He exclaimed excitedly, crouching down to pick up the little ball of fur. The cat immediately nuzzled its face into New’s chest, making itself comfortable. 

“Yup, my best friend in the whole world, Bear.”

New raised an eyebrow at him. “You named this small ball of fluff Bear?”

Joss laughed and walked up to pet Bear, who currently refused to move out of New’s arms. “Because she likes to act like this tough bear but in reality is the sweetest, tiniest, softest thing.” He glanced up at New. “Sometimes we like to to create fake barriers around ourselves when really, all we’re looking for is the right person to be vulnerable with.”

New stared back at him, and for a few brief, small seconds he felt like he may finally be able to share with someone else the loneliness he had been feeling for the last few months. He recognized the same loneliness in Joss as well. You could be surrounded by people all day or by no one at all, but only a handful of people in your life can truly erase the loneliness inside of you. 

But as quick as that fleeting moment came, New reminded himself that he had to get back to make dinner. And he really should get that salt. 

“You like cats?” Joss asked suddenly, never breaking eye contact with him and instead taking a step closer until it was just tiny little Bear cuddled in New’s arms that separated their chests.

New looked down at Bear. “I love them. I used to have one but she ran away.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you miss her a lot,” Joss said as he leaned further down to pet Bear, his breath now slightly fanning New’s cheeks. “Did you get another?”

New sighed, pouting slightly. “No. My best friend that lives with me doesn’t like cats.” He responded quietly.

“Do you always do everything your best friend says?”

New looked up at Joss, their eyes connecting. Joss smiled slightly, his dimples almost peeking out. His eyes were questioning but also restrained, as if waiting for New’s answer. New unconsciously began biting his bottom lip, and it wasn’t until he saw Joss’s eyes flicker down to his mouth that he realized what he was doing and immediately stopped.

Tay. Tay would be home soon. 

New tilted his head forward a little, closer to Joss. 

He had to go home to make dinner soon.

Bear suddenly realized it was getting a little too crowded here because she slipped out of New’s arms and walked away as fast as she could, getting bored of the lack of attention.

Joss leaned down quickly and placed a chaste, quick kiss on New’s lips. 

“He’s just your best friend, right? You’re your own person. You should be able to do what you want.” He whispered against New’s lips.

It was in that precise moment that New realized he really should’ve just grabbed the salt a long time ago.

Joss leaned down to kiss New once more and this time New kissed him back slowly, their lips moving in sync. It wasn’t a desperate kiss, nor was it sloppy and wet. It was slow and passionate, starting off gentle but quickly turning rough. Joss circled one arm around New’s waist and pulled him in, his other hand going around New’s neck, the tips of his fingers grazing the bottom of New’s head and causing him to shiver a little. 

New placed his hands on Joss’s chest, scrunching them into fists and getting some of Joss’s shirt in his hands in the process. He was about to break away, to grab the fucking salt so he could finally leave, but Joss’s hand around his neck kept him locked in place and really, New wasn’t putting up that much of an effort to run away either. He knew all he had to do was push a little and he could break the kiss, but something was stopping him from doing that. In fact, he opened his mouth a little more and allowed Joss’s tongue to explore. He couldn’t hold back the small whine as his tongue made sure to touch every corner of the inside of his mouth, his hand sliding down from New’s waist to grab his ass and squeeze it roughly, just the way New liked it.

New was pulled back into his senses at that exact moment and he pushed against the other boy’s chest. Hard. He took a step back, his own chest slowly rising and falling, cheeks flushed, lips wet and swollen. He hadn’t felt this alive in a long time, and he was so fucking terrified. The kiss with Joss was different than any other kiss he’d had in his life. It was as if he connected with him on an emotional level, which was crazy because he had just met the guy for the first time earlier today. But it felt like he was kissing someone he had known his whole life. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel like they just fit together, like two pieces in a puzzle that had to lay side by side in order for everything else to fit just right.

He looked up at Joss, who was grinning from ear to ear, dimples wreaking havoc on New’s poor heart.

“Dinner?” He asked breathlessly.


	3. Chapter 3

New stared at Joss’s smiling face. “What?” He asked incredulously.

“I said,” Joss took a careful step forward, “do you want to stay for dinner?”

New blinked in surprise, eyebrows scrunching, trying desperately to comprehend if this man was in fact a psychopath. He took a steadying breath, trying to calm his nerves after that insane kiss, then said evenly “no, I think I’ve already had enough for one night so I’ll be taking my leave if you’ll just give me the fucking salt already.”

Joss stared back at New calmly. It’s possible he jumped ahead a little too quickly but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t take his eyes off New when he saw him in the lobby this morning. At that time he didn’t even think he was attracted to him in that way, he just found New to be a fascinating creature to observe. He was pouting one second, then confused the next, and other times he would just look at people with eyes that were clearly trying to understand their deepest darkest secrets while desperately hiding his own. Now that he thought about it, it was unbelievable he had observed all of that in the brief moments that he had seen New in the lobby. But that was just a testament to how much of an impact he had had on him.

And then he quite literally walked right into Joss’s life again by knocking on his door earlier tonight. And now, hours later, he realized he hadn’t felt this comfortable with someone else in a long time. Maybe it was a stroke of good luck that the girl he had been messaging the last few days had politely canceled on him tonight. She had been really nice and sweet but Joss realized pretty quickly that both of them could feel that the “spark” was missing. And then New walked in and in the span of one night Joss suddenly felt that spark again. 

And then that fucking AMAZING kiss happened.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. He didn’t want to be a jackass and keep making excuses to make New stay, but he didn’t want him to leave yet either. “Tell me more about this best friend of yours.”

New frowned. “No. Salt. Now.”

“Please? I promise. It’s the last question, and then I’ll give you salt.”

New squinted his eyes at him. “You promise?”

“I promise.” Joss said firmly.

“Promise on Bear?” 

Joss smiled. “On Bear.”

New continued to squint as he edged his way back into Joss’s kitchen, walking slowly around it and turning his back to Joss. “What do you want to know about him?”

Joss kept his eyes trained on New’s back as he followed him around his own home, trailing just a few steps behind, never too close but never too far. “What’s he like? What made you become his b—best friend.” He made sure to emphasize the words “best friend” in order to let New know he wasn’t buying that bullshit for a second.

“Tay’s crazy.” The ghost of a smile flickered on New’s lips as he kept walking lightly around Joss’s house, placing his fingers on the table or shelf just to give his nervous hands something to do. “He nags me all the time, makes me do stupid stuff for him, always manhandles me.” He could feel his ears turning red and a blush creeping onto his cheeks. “I love the way he makes me laugh.” He smiled, thinking about Tay’s madness. “I’ve never met anyone like him in my life.”

“He sounds like someone special.” Joss said from behind him. He had walked a little closer since New’s steps had slowed down on their own. New frowned as he felt Joss’s presence so close to him again, remembering the kiss they had just shared a little while ago. He didn’t make a move to step away.

“He is.” He responded quietly, shutting his eyes and digging his palms into them, as if rubbing them harshly could take away this awful feeling he was experiencing right now. To his horror it wasn’t even guilt. He wanted to stand here next to Joss, in front of Joss, and keep talking about his own FEELINGS. And this absolutely disgusted him. He hated being vulnerable and yet here he was, enjoying it with this random person he had just met a few hours ago. All he wanted to do now was keep talking to this stranger, this GUY who made him feel like someone finally understood the voices inside his own head.

“Well it sounds like he makes you really happy.” Joss said, smiling as he placed a gentle hand on New’s shoulder, slowly turning him around so that they were finally facing each other again. He squeezed New’s shoulder once, then, surprisingly, dropped his hand and walked to a nearby cabinet to grab salt.

“Here,” he said, taking New’s hand and placing the salt in it. He held on to the hand even though New tried to tug it away quickly and pulled once to bring him in closer. “You can keep the salt, but come by again when you need something else.” He said firmly, staring into New’s eyes and smiling slowly.

New looked back at him and couldn’t help but smirk. “IF. If I need something else.”

“When.” Joss said with finality.

***********************************************************************************************************************

New walked into his and Tay’s condo with a small smile on his face, replaying the bizarre events from the last few hours. How had time just flown by with a complete stranger?

“I’m so hungry!”

“Ahhhhh what the fu—“ New almost dropped the can of salt he had worked so hard to secure. “Tay you fucking IDIOT. Why would you sneak up on me like that?”

Tay turned away from the refrigerator door and walked up to New, taking the salt from his hand and observing it. “What do you mean ‘sneak up on you’? I was just standing by the fridge trying to find something to eat.” He frowned at the salt can. “Where did you get this from? It’s not our usual.”

New grabbed the salt roughly from Tay and dashed to the stove to finish cooking dinner. “Why are you even here? You weren’t supposed to be back for another hour or so.” He asked, trying to change the subject.

Tay shrugged as he made his way to the dining table and sat down, taking out his phone to play games. “The badminton game ended a little early and everyone headed out for dinner. But of course I, being the amazing best friend that I am, came home to eat your delicious meal.” He glanced up from his phone to grin at New. “What do you have for me to eat today?”

New turned to him and smiled. “I’m not sure it’s enough for you, to be honest. You always eat too much. It’s like you never get full from what I give you.”

“Well whatever you give me just tastes so good,” Tay said, dropping his phone on the table and walking up to hug New from behind as he finished cooking. “I don’t think I could ever get full.”

New rolled his eyes as he sprinkled his prized possession - the salt - over the food. He suddenly remembered kissing the owner of this salt can and almost dropped it for the second time that night. Luckily Tay was there to grab New’s wrist and steady it. “Heyyyy I’m really hungry, don’t mess it up!” He whined as he took the salt from New’s hand and placed it on the counter. 

“By the way, you never answered. This isn’t our usual? Where did you run to grab it from?”

“Our new neighbor.” New responded, mixing the contents in the pot. “His name’s Joss, nice guy.”

“Oh I didn’t know we had a new neighbor.” Tay frowned. 

“Yup, he just moved though. That could be why you didn’t know. Anyway, we should all hang out sometime.”

New bit his lip. What was he doing? Why did he have to go that far? Maybe a small part of him was hoping they could all hang out and Joss could see how happy New was with Tay and………..then what? Joss had never said he wasn’t happy with Tay. That was New’s own thinking. Just now. What was he even trying to prove?

“Sure,” Tay said, plopping back down at the table. “Sounds fun.”

“He has a cat.” New blurted out. 

FUCK. WHAT AM I DOING?!

Tay raised an eyebrow and stared at him. “Oh?”

New blinked. “Yeah. Real cute. Name’s Bear.”

Tay placed his elbow atop the table and rested his chin in his hand, staring at New and observing his odd behavior as he poured the food into plates and bowls and brought it out to the table. “You seem to really like our new neighbor. That’s great!” He said warmly, reaching for a nearby bowl. “I’m glad he has a cat, I know how much you missed yours when she ran away.” 

New watched Tay pour the food onto his plate. “Yeah.” He poured some food onto his own plate then shoved the remaining food over to Tay. “Here, take some more.” 

They ate in silence for the most part, both distracted on their phones. Tay finished first, then got up to rinse his dishes and head into the bedroom. New stayed behind a little longer to finish the game he was playing on his phone, then eventually he too made his way to their bedroom.

Both brushed their teeth, Tay putting some toothpaste onto New’s as usual before handing his brush to him. They stood next to each other, as they did every night. Tay then made his way to bed, grabbing his iPad and catching up on his social media. New stayed behind in the restroom to do his skin care routine. He loved this part of the day, when he got to scrub his face and place his face mask on it, then finish it off with toners and moisturizers. There was something so therapeutic and relaxing about ending the day like this. Plus the way it made his skin glow to perfection was an added bonus.

New bounced his fingers off his cheeks, making sure the last few products he had applied really soaked in before looking at his face in the mirror and smiling at himself. He reached for a lip mask and gently placed it on his lips. The second his fingertips brushed his lips all he could see was flashbacks of the kiss he had shared with Joss earlier. He shook his head firmly, then stood in the mirror, waiting for the mask to sink in before he could take it off, trying desperately to think about anything else in the world besides his annoying neighbor. 

It was a mistake. A mistake a mistake a MISTAKE. That’s it.

“Look at this tweet, New! It’s so dumb!” 

Tay’s laugh from the bedroom yanked New out of his thoughts and he immediately made his way over to where Tay was seated on the bed. 

“Look, isn’t it so funny?” Tay shoved his iPad in New’s face. New smiled and rolled his eyes. “It’s not funny, Tay.” Of course it wasn’t funny, it was yet another tweet with a picture of New, gushing over how cute he was. 

Tay grinned and snaked his arm around New’s waist. “It’s funny to me! Everyone thinks you’re soooo cute but I know you’re actually not that cute at all.” Tay whined, pulling New closer to him until he sitting on the bed across from him. 

New raised an eyebrow. “I’m not cute?” He challenged.

Tay shook his head. New pouted. Tay’s desperate attempt at holding back a smile naturally failed, and he pulled New into his arms. Both boys lay quietly curled up together on the bed. New could hear Tay’s heartbeat as he rested his head on his chest and smiled slowly, closing his eyes. Suddenly he felt soft fingers brush his lips, and opened his eyes to see Tay gently peeling off the lip mask. Then he proceeded to press down gently on New’s now plump and moist lips, taking his fingers back and touching his own lips with the moisture that was left on New’s lips. 

“Smells nice.” Tay said quietly, reaching down to cup New’s cheek and lift his face upward. “And it works so fast, wow. You’re lips look at least a hundred times larger than they usually do.”

New snorted and smacked Tay’s chest. “Do they also look ‘positively kissable’, like the face mask promised they would?”

Tay pretended to think long and hard about this. “I mean, to me they do, but I guess we’ll have to test it out.”

New’s face lit up and he grinned. “Good idea.” He tilted upward to meet the other boy’s lips and pressed his soft ones against his, giving a quick peck then leaning back. “Thoughts?”

Tay rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to judge based off of that?”

New frowned. “I have an idea.” He leaned up slowly and kissed Tay’s Adam’s apple. “How about now? What do you think?”

Tay smiled and grabbed on to New’s waist, pushing him down on the bed until he was under him. New yelped and giggled in surprise. “That tickles!” He whined.

“Good,” Tay responded, hovering over him and leaning down until their faces were less than an inch apart. “You suck at testing this lip mask, New. Let me help you.” He leaned down and kissed him, harder than their last kiss. New cupped Tay’s face with both hands, taking in the sweet smell that was 100% Tay’s. Nothing made him happier than this smell right here. He ran his hands slowly down Tay’s broad back as he allowed Tay to deepen their kiss by opening his mouth just a little. Tay then moved his way down and rested his face in the crook of New’s neck, taking in a deep breathe and wrapping his arms around the body underneath him. 

This was home for Tay. This was all he would ever need to come back to for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please please PLEASE leave your thoughts, questions, comments concerns here because i love to see them! :)


	4. Chapter 4

New awoke to the sound of commotion in his bedroom. Something fell, there was a loud “oops!”, a phone alarm was going off, and suddenly the shower was turned on. He didn’t even bother to open his eyes. 

Another typical morning with Tay. He smiled and snuggled back into the blankets.

“New? New?! NEW!”

He suddenly sat up straight in bed and looked around the room, eyes wide and searching for the source of the yelling. 

“Tay!” He croaked out, voice still raspy from sleep.

Tay dashed out of the closet, throwing his clothes on. “Have you seen my watch?”

New gaped at him as he ran around the room throwing on his shoes, his jacket, and his pants. Then he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and stared at New expectantly.

“What?” New said, blinking rapidly.

“My watch, New. Where is it?” Tay said hurriedly.

“You……..I……..” He ran his hands through his hair and tried to think. Where does Tay usually drop his watch when he enters the house?

“The counter in the kitchen. Not the one on the right, the one on the left. By the sink. On the top, next to the glasses.” 

Tay smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. “Thanks. Can’t do dinner tonight, long day at work.”

Tay’s longtime job in the corporate world meant New always got to see him less, but he had slowly made his peace with the long days. Or at least, he thought he had. But recently he would suddenly get irritated at the thought of spending another evening alone. He was thankful Tay was off work yesterday so they were finally able to have dinner together after so long. Plus it wasn’t like New wasn’t busy with work either. It was just that his work kept him home most of the time, since he ran a moderately successful online fashion blog. It wasn’t anything big or extremely popular, but he did well with it. He would occasionally step out to find new pieces and what not, but for the most part he got to stay at home and maintain the blog. Not that that meant his job was easy. Finding just the right unique pieces and putting them together to create looks that matched up to his top competitors was a difficult feat. But over the years he had found his own style which clearly resonated with others as his fanbase was now a decent size. He now had his own “brand”, an image that was uniquely his, one that he had curated after years of hard work and dedication, and this was something he was incredibly proud of.

“S’okay. I’ll be out late today too. Gotta grab some pieces from a designer.” He responded with his own smile.

Tay nodded and headed out the bedroom door. “Have fun!”

“Thanks. You have fun too, selling your soul!” He grinned as Tay flipped him off before shutting the door behind him. 

New stared after him, his smile slowing becoming a frown. “Wow he really woke me up just to tell him where his own watch was.” He mumbled as he climbed out of bed and stretched. He walked over to the bedroom window and looked down at the parking lot where Tay was getting into his silver SUV. As if he could sense his boyfriend’s eyes on him, he looked up directly at the window where New was standing. Even though he couldn’t see New due to the shade cast on the building, he waved nonetheless, positive that his partner was standing there.

New smiled and shook his head, leaning forward to rest his forehead against the warm glass. He lifted a hand and waved as well, just as Tay reversed the car and drove out of the lot.

He stretched his body a little then walked into the bathroom to take a shower. An hour later, he had grabbed his bag and keys and was about to head out when his phone buzzed with a new message: “Need your help with something.”

New stared at the message. The number was unfamiliar, and clearly they weren’t a contact that was saved to his phone. Suddenly the phone buzzed again with a new incoming message: “—Joss (neighbor). That’s how you can save me in your contacts.”

New’s eyebrows shot up. How did this guy get his number?! He rolled his eyes then gasped as he glanced at the time on his phone. He was going to be late for the meeting with the designer if he didn’t head out now!

Ignoring the messages, he dashed out the condo only to run smack into his annoying neighbor.

“What. The FUCK.” New spat out as he balanced himself so that he didn’t topple over from running into this idiot. He looked up at him and was surprised to see he cleaned up pretty nicely. His six foot tall frame was dressed in professional attire similar to Tay’s - black slacks, pressed button down shirt, and shiny black shoes.

“I am SO sorry!” Joss exclaimed as he grabbed New’s things from the floor and handed them to him. “I was actually heading over to your place so I cou—“

“Pause.” New cut him off. “My place? How did you know where I live?”

“Well we are next door neighbors, right? Not that hard to figure it out.” Joss grinned.

New frowned and looked him up and down. “Fair. That’s fair. But my number? How did you get that?”

“Oh! From this.” He pulled out New’s business card. “I think you must’ve dropped it at my place before you ran out, Cinderella. So thanks for that.”

New scowled and grabbed the card from his hand. “Shut up.” He hissed. 

Joss smiled, observing the light blush on New’s cheeks as he shoved the card into his pocket. “Did you read my texts?”

“No. I don’t have time right now I have to—“

“Please, it’s an emergency.” Joss pleaded as New walked past him towards the elevators. 

“I don’t care, I need to meet someone for an urgent work matter.” He said firmly, pressing the “down” button by the elevator a thousand times, as if that would hurry up its arrival.

“Please. I have a job interview today and the shirt I’m wearing right now tore. I don’t have any other button down shirts available at the moment, most are in the laundry or at the cleaners. And my interview is in half an hour!” He rattled on next to New as New tapped his feet and pretended to ignore him.

“I really need this job. Please.” He finally whispered in a soft voice, shoulders slumping as he looked at New with his big brown eyes all wide.

New glanced at him, then the elevator (which was taking an obscenely long time to arrive), then his cell phone (that showed he was already far too late for his meeting anyway), then back at Joss, whose eyes never left New’s face.

He sighed and began dialing someone on the phone. “Hey, it’s me. I’m gonna be late. Don’t snap at me you clown. Oh please! If I didn’t promote your shit on my blog you wouldn’t sell half of the crap in your store. Get off your high horse and give me a new time and date.” He walked hastily back to his condo, Joss trailing behind him.

“I don’t care if you’re already booked.” He looked behind him at Joss, who was standing at the entrance but not stepping inside. 

New gave him a questioning look and beckoned him in. “Yes you WILL give me a new time and date if you want to sell your stuff!”He said with finality then hung up on the designer and threw his phone onto a nearby couch. 

He turned around to see Joss was still standing there. “Seriously? I thought this was urgent.” He exclaimed, getting angry at Joss just standing there, not moving an inch. 

“That was so cool.” He finally said, walking into the condo and closing the door behind him.

“What was?” New said as he walked up to him to take a closer look at his shirt. 

“The way you just……….I don’t know. Took charge like that?” Joss responded, taking in New’s figure as he bent down close to him to look at the tear in his shirt. 

New scoffed and rolled his eyes, shaking his head even as he felt his ears burning up a little. “Where’s the tear?”

“Here.” Joss raised his left arm and New could see a small tear from the armpits extending outwards towards the front of the shirt. 

“Hmmm. I can sew it up but I know you’re in a hurry. You can borrow one of Tay’s shirts. Mine might be a little too small but his wi—what?” New saw Joss staring at him with a small smile on his face.

“Nothing. Do you always suddenly begin to unbutton your neighbors’ shirts while talking rapidly?”

New looked down and saw his hands on the buttons of Joss’s shirts and immediately recoiled. “S—sorry. My mind is in fifty billion places right now and uhh—kinda in a rush, y’know?” He said hurriedly.

“No worries!” Joss brushed it off and began to unbutton his shirt while New decided now would be a good time to go to his closet and find the replacement shirt. 

“How does it look?” Joss stepped out of the closet with Tay’s shirt on and New couldn’t hold back a smile. Just one shirt held so many memories. Flashbacks of the two of them talking under a starry sky during a nighttime stroll on the beach danced in front of New’s eyes.

“Uhh……looks fine. A little loose but you can tuck it in and use a belt.” New began to gather his things so that he could rush to the designer and catch him before he headed out for the day. He was sure that punk would try to sneak off because he was probably salty from New cancelling last minute. 

He turned to see what was holding Joss up and saw him staring at himself in the mirror, a nervous frown on his face.

“What’s wrong? Is the fit making you uncomfortable?” He asked, walking up behind him.

“No I’m just………..nervous? I guess? Ha ha.” The other boy let out a nervous laugh then ran his hands through his hair as he turned to face New. He looked around the room and began to pace anxiously. “It’s a nice place.” 

New watched him as he observed the pictures of New and Tay that were proudly displayed along bookshelves and scattered throughout their bedroom.

“He looks like a sweet guy.” Joss smiled. “Loves you a lot.”

New flinched. He had no idea why but he was suddenly reminded of last night, not even a full 24 hours ago, when he and this guy that was now standing inside his bedroom had suddenly kissed. He was trying desperately to pretend like it hadn’t happened. He could hide it from Tay if he refused to believe that anything at all had actually happened. If he could keep acting like this guy was just his platonic neighbor, then he could avoid a bigger catastrophe.

He was sure of this. This was NOT a problem. 

He walked up to the picture Joss was looking at. New was blowing out birthday candles on a cake that Tay had surprised him with for his birthday four years ago. New was red in the face from the excitement and embarrassment, while Tay was standing closely beside him, looking at him with his classic gaze of love and pride. 

New smiled. “He does.”

“How does that make you feel?”

He was slightly taken aback by this question. He had naturally expected the next question to be about whether New loved him back too, to which the answer would’ve been a resounding yes. But this sudden question of how does Tay’s love make him feel, this was something New himself had never actually thought about. Loving his best friend had become second nature to him - something he did so intrinsically that it was like breathing. They never even thought about it anymore because it was just another part of their daily lives together. 

He sighed and leaned back, crossing his arms and frowning as he thought about how to answer this question. It’s not that he didn’t like the question. On the contrary, he actually liked it a lot. No one had ever bothered to ask how he felt about being the object of such affection. 

“It can be……………..a lot, at times. Not that that’s a bad thing!” He hastened to clarify. “Just that, you never want to feel like you……..I don’t know.” He exhaled, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Like you owe someone your love?” Joss finished for him.

“Exactly!” New exclaimed. “You just want to be sure you’re giving love for all the right reasons.”

Joss shifted closer to New as the two now stood side by side, their shoulders touching as they continued to stare at the birthday picture. Joss’s eyebrows furrowed as he asked “what are the right reasons for love?”

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s just so hard to understand, you know? Like, in my past, I keep searching for that feeling that everyone describes as love. But I’m never sure if I’ve found it. Then things go to shit and I’m like well, I guess that wasn’t it?” 

New let out an involuntary laugh. Joss turned to look at him quizzically but he shook his head and said “sorry, I’m not laughing at you. Just that I understand what you’re saying. Believe me. People make love and relationships seem like something that should be straightforward, or that we should be lucky to receive love. But often times it’s just not that simple.”

“But when you know, you know, right?” Joss said, turning to look at New directly. New nodded and faced him back. “Yup. It’s hard to explain but trust me, you’ll get it.”

“Maybe I’m starting to.”

New stared at him and tilted his head to the side, frowning as he felt that same energy from last night stifling him yet again. “Give it some time.” He finally responded. “Maybe what you think you’re getting isn’t what you thought it was at all.”

Joss’s eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth tilted up. “Yeah, maybe. Guess we’ll see.” Both stood in this heavy silence for what felt like hours before Joss finally said “do you……..wanna talk about last ni—“

“Aren’t you getting late for your interview?” New said sharply.

“Oh SHIT!” Joss glanced at his watch before grabbing his things and heading towards the front door. “I’ve got about fifteen minutes before I’m late!”

New trailed after him as he made his way to the door before turning around and glancing shyly back at New. “Uhh………thanks. For helping me out and making me feel less nervous.”

New smiled and tentatively placed a hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. You got this.”

There was a split second of silence where both boys looked at each other, feeling that something more could’ve been said, should’ve been acknowledged, but it was over just as quickly as it began. 

“Time really does fly when we’re together.” Joss said lightly as he turned around and walked through the door. New closed it behind him and stared at the spot where his neighbor had been standing just a few second ago, refusing to acknowledge his last remark. Because it was true, time did fly when they were together. It almost became nonexistent, like they’d get lost in a sudden conversation and it would just be the two of them divulging their innermost thoughts and emotions. And New hated that he was right, hated that he made that last comment, hated that he left with a knowing look, like he knew New was thinking the same thing he was.

He frowned as he felt his heartbeat pick up a little. He blinked and took a few deep breathes before shaking his head and grabbing his cell phone to finally call back the designer.


	5. Chapter 5

Joss smiled as he head out of the large corporate office and made his way to the elevator. He didn’t know why, but his encounter with New this morning had put him at ease for the interview today. He couldn’t help but feel grateful that New had actually agreed to help him, especially since he had his own pressing matter to attend to that morning.

It made him feel warm inside. The idea that anyone cared enough for him to drop what they were doing and help him. He wasn’t used to it.

He had been on his own for years now, really. The typical guy-on-his-own loner type. He liked it like that. His parents had always been really successful in their respective careers - his mom a successful entrepreneur and CEO of a multimillion dollar company she started from scratch, his dad a full-time academic scholar, traveling the world and being the keynote speaker at important and influential conferences while spending his remaining days lecturing at a prestigious university. Joss knew they both loved him very much, and had instilled within him a drive to succeed at all costs.

It’s why he was working so hard to get this new job opportunity for one of the best tech firms in the world. His parents had always supported his every decision and made sure to let him know they’d be there for him through thick and thin. But late at night when he would be alone at home, eating his dinner and going about his now mundane routine, he’d think about the one thing he knew he had always needed from them - their time. 

And that was the one thing they couldn’t give.

In fairness, he had never expressed it either. But how could he have known, as a kid, that all those fights he got into with other kids in grade school was because he was lacking the emotional connection with his parents at home? How could he have known that all those times he bullied kids while hanging out with the “cool” kids in high school was because he was a frustrated teenager that needed his parents but could never find them at home? And how could he have known that now, as an adult, his competitive spirit and that need-to-win-at-all-costs attitude came from years of wanting to earn his parents’ affection by being the best at everything?

He shook his head as he reached his car parked in the lot adjacent to the company’s skyscraper-esque building. He didn’t want to have resentment for his parents. For all they knew, they had done the best they could for him. It was nobody’s fault, really. They had all just made the best of the cards they were dealt.

As he drove off, he wondered if anyone would ever truly be able to fill that void inside him. And maybe that was what caused him to chase after happiness so desperately.

“Sometimes our past can hold us back.” The words New had spoken that first night they met suddenly ran through his mind. 

He smiled. What was it about his neighbor that nowadays all his thoughts ended up on him?

*********************************************************************************************

Tay typed up another standard, boring email at his desk and hit send before getting up for his fourth break in two hours. He didn’t hate his job but it was so incredibly boring for him. He loved the weekends, when he and New would go on photography dates around the city and just take pictures all day long. But they had to pay the bills with these dumb jobs. 

He sighed.

New did make enough money for both of them to live off of his salary. His blog was incredibly popular and he was so in demand with the top celebs and stylists. Everyone wanted to be featured on it. But he knew it would be unfair to put that burden on him, especially since his boyfriend had always wanted to lead a comfortable life. They both had worked hard in their careers and New had always said that they should enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

The compromise was the weekend dates.

But if Tay was being honest he would do anything to make New happy. Seeing him happy just made him happy. They had been together for years now, and Tay couldn’t imagine a life without him. Or even a day without him. New being beside him and he being beside New was like second nature, like breathing. Sure, when they fought it would get bad. And sometimes just downright terrifying. But only the two of them understood each other’s moods. New knew how Tay could get when he was really angry and Tay knew how cold New could become when he was angry. 

No one could tolerate either of them, and hence they were stuck together. 

He grabbed some water from the break room when his colleague, Lee, came by. “How was the interview this morning?”

“It was good. I think the team really liked him. We may make him an offer.” Tay responded. Lee was always snooping around for information on his team. Lee and Tay had a friendly rivalry at the office that the entire department knew about.

“I’m sure even on his worst days he’ll still be better than your best team member.” Tay said lightly, taking a drink from his cup of water and walking out of the break room, grinning as he heard Lee yelling after him.

****************************************************************************************** 

“I don’t know, Leon, this design just seems so dull to me.” New said as he gazed at the pieces of garment splayed out before him on the table. 

His designer friend Leon glanced up from his phone and said distractedly “just wait until the model puts them on.”

“Well where is she?” 

“HE just texted. Walking up to the office now.”

New rolled his eyes. “Your models are always the only ones that waste my time, Leon. Last week it was that weirdo girl who wouldn’t even put on the necklace I laid out cause she thought it clashed with her hair. And now this one is a whole thirty minutes late. Seriously?”

Leon sighed and went to open the door to his office. “Where have you been, man?”

“Sorry! Got stuck in traffic.”

New’s head perked up and his eyes widened as he froze with his back to the door. He knew that voice.

“Well come check out the clothes you’ll be trying on then!” He heard Leon say as he ushered the model in.

New thought about running to the restroom but they were in the same room so if he moved now it would be extremely obvious. And awkward.

Maybe I won’t even have to turn around, he thought. But he knew that was wishful thinking. He had to approve the look so he could put it on his blog. 

“New! You were literally complaining seconds ago about the model being late and now you’re just standing there! Come on, time is money. I gotta pay this guy for every minute!” Leon snapped, grabbing the clothes.

“New?” 

He sighed and turned around to see Joss standing there, giving him a puzzled look. His shoulders slumped and he waved halfheartedly. “Hey.” He said dully. He watched as Joss’s face lit up and he walked over to give New a hug. New was taken aback and instinctively pulled out of it. 

“Ah, sorry about that. I’m just happy to see you! Was just thinking about you.”

New glanced at Leon, who he could tell was listening intently on their conversation as he pretended to make some quick alterations to the clothes.

“Uhh…..why?” 

“Just got out of my interview. Think I did well. Could’ve been cause of a lucky shirt I was wearing….” He smiled warmly, the dimples in his cheeks coming out again. New stared at them until he realized what he was doing then looked over quickly at Leon.

“The clothes look fine! Let’s just get them on him so I can take the pictures and be done.” He snapped.

Joss grinned as he watched New walk around the office, fumbling with accessories and fabrics. It was odd to see him act so on-edge. Did he make New feel uncomfortable? But that didn’t explain the red ears and cheeks on New’s face as he looked everywhere in the room but at Joss. 

“So should I just undress here or is there a separate room?” He asked.

“Here is fine” Leon said at the same time New shouted “GO TO THE RESTROOM.”

Leon looked at New in confusion. “All the models just put on the clothes here. They’ve never had an issue before, New.”

“Yeah but…….isn’t he new? I’ve never seen him before. Maybe he doesn’t feel comf—“

“I’m fine.” Joss replied happily as he began to unbutton the very shirt New had placed on him that morning. 

New sighed and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He hadn’t done anything awful to anyone in years, he donated to the poor, he visited his parents often and had even been nice to Tay the last few weeks. Why was God punishing him then?

Wait. Why did this even bother him? Why was he being so affected by this guy he had barely met? Who cares if he undressed here or the restroom? 

“Ughhhhhhh.” He checked his phone and noticed it was almost lunch time.

“I’m gonna grab us all lunch.” And before Leon could say anything further he ran out of the office.


	6. Chapter 6

New adjusted the bags full of food he was carrying as he slowly made his way back to the office. 

“Dumb. So dumb.” He muttered as he thought about all of his interactions with Joss thus far. “Why did I kiss him back? WHY?!” He said loudly, ignoring the people passing by that were now staring at him.

Things had been going so well with Tay recently. A little too well, actually. Maybe that was why he was going through this right now. Things never stayed this well that long in their relationship. He loved Tay with all his heart and more, and that was why he couldn’t figure out why he felt the way he did whenever Joss was around. Was it just the novelty of it all? The feeling of being near someone new? 

He frowned. 

That would be so tragic, if he kissed some guy just because he was bored. He shook his head fiercely as he turned the corner and Leon’s office building came into view. He had been in many situations the last few years with many men and women who had shown interest in him and had never wavered. At all. He loved Tay too much for that, and Tay’s love meant far too much to him to risk losing it. In fact he had developed quite the reputation as a sometimes cold and rude guy because he rarely paid attention to most people. But that was because people in general just annoyed him. 

Except Tay. He was the only annoyance New needed in his life.

But then what happened that night in Joss’s apartment? As much as New hated the cliche of it all, the fact of the matter was that the situation had lined up perfectly - Joss being stood up, New needing salt, both of them connecting over some random conversation about pasts and futures and whatnot. He winced as he entered the office building, remembering the kiss. He had made the decision as soon as he left Joss’s apartment that he would forget that memory permanently and act like it never happened.

He didn’t need to tell Tay if it never happened in his mind, right?

Except he kept seeing this guy over and over again. And now he was actually at New’s work. When he had just seen him this morning. 

And who was New kidding? That’s such a cowardly thing to do. He had to tell Tay. What he did was awful, and he regretted it every day. Right?

Entering the empty elevator, he shuffled the bags in his arms around so he could push the button to go up to the 11th floor as the doors closed shut. He couldn’t work with Joss on the next post for his blog. He just couldn’t. He had to put an end to this……..whatever this was. He knew that a small part of him wasn’t being as firm as he could be, so he had to put his foot down and say enough is enough. He’d apologize as much as Joss wanted, because in many ways New recognized that he had been leading him on that night a little too. But he had to make this right. And making this right meant cutting off his neighbor once and for all.

He squared his shoulders and put on his best resting bitch face as the elevator doors opened and he moved to step out. Except as soon as the doors opened he saw Joss standing against the wall, staring as if he was waiting for someone. 

New immediately tried (and failed) to hide in the corner of the elevator as he furiously shoved the button for the lobby.

“Hey!” He saw the other boy’s face peek through the elevator doors, grinning from ear to ear. “Lemme help you with those bags.”

New rolled his eyes as he pointedly adjusted the bags in his hand and squeezed past Joss out the elevator, making a beeline for Leon’s office. “No need,” he yelled back.

**************************************************************************************************************

New sat opposite Joss at the small office table, glaring daggers at the boy as he shoved food into his mouth. But this did nothing except make Joss smile as he tried to move plates and forks in front of New so he would eat too.

He squinted his eyes. “Where’s Leon?” He asked quietly. 

“Oh he said he had to run home and grab his favorite shawl since it would get chilly later tonight when he leaves the office.”

New cocked an eyebrow at him and pursed his lips. “Really? He did?”

Joss’s eyes widened. “Yes! I swear.”

The more New thought about it the more it did sound like exactly the type of thing Leon would. He scowled thinking about his ridiculous business partner.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Joss said through a mouthful of food.

Pfft. A silly question. He was always hungry. 

“This is gonna be our last meal together,” he said in between bites. “Can’t keep………..meeting you randomly……….anymore.” 

“Devastating.” Joss deadpanned as he took one last large bite of food then placed his utensils down and sat back in his chair.

“Seriously! And forget about the other night at your place, obviously that was a mistake—“

“No it wasn’t.” The other boy grinned. “Friends kiss friends casually all the time, don’t worry.”

New narrowed his eyes at him. “I never said we’re friends.”

“We shared a friendly kiss. Of course we’re friends.”

“That was a mistake.”

“A mistaken friendship kiss.”

“It’s not a friendship kiss!”

“I’m happy to have such a forward thinking friend, who starts off his friendships with a friendship kiss—“

“It was NOT a friendship kiss!! It was a real kiss.” New snapped loudly. His eyes widened as he realized what he just said. The boy across from him smiled warmly, his eyes softening as he looked away. They shared a comfortable silence, neither one wanting to continue that conversation because really, what more was left to say?

“I got the job.” 

“What?” 

“The job I interviewed for this morning. They called me while you were out getting lunch. I got it.” 

“Hey, that’s great news!” New said, smiling and giving an awkward thumbs up sign.

Joss laughed. “Yeah, I’m excited for it too. It’s gonna be a challenge but I……..I don’t know, I’ve been looking for a new challenge for a long time.” He looked back at New and it was now New’s turn to look away. He glanced out the window at the afternoon sun that was reaching its peak in the sky. He would even glance at a bare wall right now if it meant not having to look into the other boy’s eyes. 

He had a feeling they would be holding emotions he didn’t want to think about.

“I get it. It’s like, you know you’re working against the odds. Everyone expects you to fail, but that’s when you become stubborn and have to win, because once you win that challenge it’s the best high in the world.”

“Exactly!” Joss said excitedly. “Thats………actually exactly how it feels. It’s an amazing feeling to do something no one thought you could do.”

New turned to look back at him, frowning as he placed an elbow atop the table and rested his chin in his hand. “I haven’t felt that kind of high in a long time.” He said quietly.

Joss stared back him. The sun was casting an amazing shadow behind him, making the edges of his hair shine brighter under the light. He never noticed how long New’s eyelashes were as well, or that he had a few moles on his face. He took in the sight of him, looking kind of sad, kind of anxious, kind of……….excited? All at once. He was amazed that one could person could look like all of those things at the same time. 

He leaned forward involuntarily, putting his arm on the table and stretching forward slowly until his fingertips grazed New’s elbow. “People change,” he said, carefully drawing circles around the elbow. “I think we just have to keep evolving as we go through life, you know?”

New looked down at the fingers on his elbow. “It’s scary, because I don’t want to lose anyone. Sometimes I feel like it’s just me who always has this annoying itch to do more, to want more from life. I don’t even know what it is that I want but I know I want it. It’s so fucking dumb.” He exhaled loudly and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. Here they were, doing it again. Having another random conversation about some philosophical bullshit. Why did this keep happening to them?!

Joss watched as the small baby hairs on New’s head stood up after he ran his fingers through them. He couldn’t help but smile. This guy…………..he was just so fascinating. When he was around New he felt alive. It was the weirdest feeling in the world, to have this sudden connection with someone you barely knew. 

His phone starting buzzing, forcing him to take his eyes (grudgingly) off the boy in front of him. 

Fuck. His dad. 

He rolled his eyes but still answered the call. This wouldn’t take long. “Hey dad.”

New tried not to make it seem like he was intruding on the conversation, but since it was just the two of them in the room, that was hard to do. And at this point he didn’t think he cared much about formalities with this guy anyway. They had kind of bulldozed right past that. So he just sat back and watched the other boy’s face go from calm and peaceful to anxious and irritated within the span of a few seconds. He cocked his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows. He was so used to seeing Joss happy, carefree, and joking around. It was strange to see him this wound up all of a sudden.

But he also couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

“Yeah, I got your money. Yes, I’m fine. Hey! Guess what? I got the job! Yeah, I can’t wait—what? No, no it’s fine, you go, I know you’re busy. Yeah, love you too.” He put down his phone and glanced wearily at New, but New just smiled and shook his head. 

So that’s what it was. He was broken. And New always had a knack for finding the broken ones and wanting to fix them.


	7. Chapter 7

Tay had had a long day at work. Between the dozens of emails, phone calls, meetings, and friendly arguments with Lee, he felt like he had been extremely productive today and that made him happy. Getting things done, checking things off his list, feeling like he was accomplishing something, those were the things that made him feel alive. Feel like he was a part of something bigger and was doing his part. 

He was the complete opposite of New. He smiled as he remembered his “best friend”, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of his car as he drove into the parking lot of their building. He knew he had been working too much the last few weeks, and this annoyed New, no matter how much he pretended that it didn’t. As a kid, his best friend had always felt alone. He had a family and friends, but he knew New didn’t open up to people easily, didn’t let them in, always kept his guard up.

Nobody understood him, until Tay came into his life. 

It made Tay feel special too. New was a complex person, so to be able to feel needed by someone like New was an amazing feeling, and Tay would be lying if he said that wasn’t a part of the attraction. Growing up, he had always felt loved by people around him and thus never needed to look for love anywhere else. But the older he got the more he found himself wanting someone special in his life. Initially it wasn’t even about romance or love or physical intimacy. It was about having a partner by his side for the rest of his life.

It took him a while to see that that partner had been in front of him for so long. And it had taken both of them even longer to acknowledge that. 

Now they spent their days happily in their “friendship”, together and alone in their own world. Now Tay didn’t need anyone else for the rest of his life.

He hopped out the car and grabbed the bags in the passenger seat. New’s favorite food from his favorite pork restaurant. It wasn’t Tay’s favorite food but New loved it so he’d have to manage. It was his way for making up for the long nights he had to work, leaving New alone at home with his thoughts, which was never a good thing. New needed almost constant affection and affirmation. Not that Tay minded giving it to him. It was dysfunctional. Beautifully dysfunctional. But it worked. They were stuck in this together. 

He had lied to New this morning about working late again tonight. He just wanted to do something special and surprise him because he loved seeing New thrown off his guard. It was a brief moment of vulnerability, when he looked his most beautiful. When it was just him, no walls up, no pre-planned responses, just an honest reaction. 

He head up the elevator to their floor and wondered if New was home from work yet. Sometimes he’d have such long days that he wouldn’t be home till midnight. Other times he’d spend the whole day working on his blog at home. That’s one thing they both shared - the drive to work hard on their projects. Both took their careers very seriously. 

He unlocked the door to their condo and saw all the lights were off, meaning New wasn’t home yet. Perfect. Now he could set up all the food and pretend like he got home early to cook it all.

**************************************************************************************************

“Just give me my shirt now so that I don’t have to see you again.”

“How can I take off this shirt in the elevator, New? People could be watching.” Joss lifted his arms up and covered his chest. “There are cameras everywhere. Please behave yourself.”

New rolled his eyes. “You didn’t have a problem taking it off earlier at the studio.”

“That was for work!”

“Oh so you’ll do it for the right price?”

“Of course. Always.”

“How much do I need to pay you to get my shirt back?”

Joss grinned and shook his head slowly. “It wouldn’t be with money, New.”

New pursed his lips into a thin line and walked towards the other boy until they were standing toe to toe. He had forgotten how much taller Joss was than him, and for a second he felt himself almost looking away shyly, his face heating up and heartbeat suddenly quickening at their proximity and how he felt oddly comforted being this close to him. But as quickly as those emotions came, he suppressed them even faster, making sure to shove them so far out of his mind and heart that he could never remember them again.

“Keep the shirt.” He said calmly, making sure to keep all emotions out of his voice.. “It’s not worth it.”

*************************************************************************************************

Tay stood back to admire his work. The food was spread out across their small table in the kitchen, two candles standing tall at the center. He had (naturally) burned a finger trying to light them, but it was worth it to see how great they looked. Definitely the romantic vibe he was going for. 

He checked the time on his phone. New should be getting home any minute now. He had texted when he left the studio and Tay knew it was only a short ten minute drive from here. He ran to the closet to change into a more comfortable shirt. Shuffling hangers around, he found the one he was looking for - a light pink shirt that New had brought for him after their last fight. Tay smiled, remembering how they hadn’t talked to each other for weeks during that fight. He couldn’t even remember what they fought about now, but he definitely remembered how they made up.

He looked down to grab some comfortable shoes and saw that New’s side of the closet had a few hangers and shirts thrown across the floor. Frowning, he bent to pick them up and hang them again. How weird, he thought. New was usually very organized, even when getting ready in the morning. He would always make sure to put everything back in its place and tidy up before leaving for the day. 

Maybe he was actually running late for once. Tay laughed as he cleaned up New’s side of the closet and headed back out to the kitchen. Serves him right for always nagging Tay about being late to everything.

Walking past the long mirror hanging on one of the walls, he caught sight of his reflection. Messy hair that New loved to run his hands through, pink shirt that New had gotten him, and shorts to show off the legs New loved to touch. And of course, New’s slippers, which Tay was happily wearing on his own feet. He knew nothing would annoy New more than Tay wearing his slippers. Which was perfectly fine with him, because making New angry always led to fun times in the bedroom.

*************************************************************************************************

New walked out the elevator but was stopped short by a warm hand on his wrist. 

“I’m sorry. I was just kidding.” He heard Joss say softly behind him.

He sighed and pulled his wrist out of the other boy’s hand. Turning to face him, he crossed his arms across his chest and said “I know. It’s okay. Maybe I overreacted. It’s been a long day.”

“Aha, yeah, tell me about it.”

They both stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds before New finally waved and turned towards the door of his condo.

“Hey!” Joss said suddenly. “Do you…………wanna maybe come over? I just got the job offer today and I’m really happy and want to celebrate with someone but………..kinda don’t have anyone.” 

New knew he should say “no” right away. But he had texted Tay earlier that he was heading home and Tay had promptly responded he was still stuck at the office. There would be no one home anyway. What would it hurt to celebrate with Joss tonight? He clearly needed a friend right now, and one of New’s biggest weaknesses was seeing someone in need. He just always wanted to help. He didn’t care to ask others to help him when he was down, but it always broke him when those around him needed a shoulder to lean on. Emotional and mental health were very important to New. 

He would know, he was constantly fighting everyday just for happiness.

But he had also promised Tay he would go home and cook tonight, since Tay couldn’t do it. He wanted to make him his favorite dish since he was working so hard the last few days. Plus, he really felt like they had become distant recently, and he wanted to make things right. New would often close himself off whenever he’d get busy with work or just needed some space to breathe. He wasn’t a big “people person”. In fact, when he and Tay had made the decision to move in together not too long ago, it had taken him some time to get used to having someone constantly in his space. Gradually, Tay learned to give him some breathing room. New was an introvert, so it was important that he get time alone to himself.

Turning once again to face Joss, he frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, I really wish I could celebrate with you tonight, but I promised Tay I’d cook dinner.”

A fleeting look of disappointment cross over his handsome neighbor’s face, but it was only for a split second. Joss suddenly smiled and waved his hand. “No worries, totally understand.”

New nodded and gave a small smile back in return, then turned to unlock the door to his condo.

“Tay’s lucky to have you.” Joss said as he walked towards his own home. He laughed quietly as he opened his door. “You both have………a great friendship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know your thoughts! would love to read them. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter --> @ confusedpolca


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